Scarlet in Black
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: An orphan, Scarlet named so for her red locks of hair is nearly raped in broad daylight by a SS soldier until he is killed by a stranger weilding a baseball bat. Having been knocked unconcious and upon awakening, Scarlet searches for answers...
1. Odd Jobs

Scarlet in Black

A/N: Orphaned at a young age, Scarlet (named so for her red locks) roams the streets in search for work and a home. While searching for a job one day, a SS soldier nearly rapes her in broad daylight, but she is saved by a stranger. Having been knocked out after tussling with the soldier, she awakens, wondering who the stranger was who saved her life and goes looking for him, only to discover that he is the Bear Jew.

Chapter 1--Odd Jobs

Scarlet was a mid-aged adolescent who knew how to handle herself on the streets. She always took a bowie knife with her wherever she went and had experienced her fair share of knife fights. She taught herself Greco-Roman wrestling and knew how to keep predators away from her, and despite her size, the redhead had tons of fight in her veins and could deter anyone from having their way with her.

Germany, mid-World War 2. All hell had literally broken lose and Scarlet, an orphan, had done fairly well for herself despite the failing economy and the fact that Germany was becoming a cesspool of humanity. Every single day, Scarlet worked odd jobs to purchase basic needs like food and clothing. She would never have enough to use for rent in the local apartments and when she found shacks and shanties, they were already crowded with homeless people like herself who were scrounging for a living.

In spite of all of the horrid conditions, Scarlet did well for herself and today she felt was her lucky day. "Fortune's smiling on me.", she thought with a confident stride as she walked down the street to the shoeshine district. She had shone shoes before and often been recommended to shine shoes from Berlin to Dusseldorf. Even the Nazis enjoyed her shining innocent face and her playful blue eyes, remarking on how beautiful she was. There were some of those soldiers who wished that she were older for purposes she knew were evil in their dark, twisted hearts, but she knew how to keep their minds distracted on her talents even though she secretly hated them with every fiber of her being.


	2. Avenging Angel

Chapter 2--Saved by an Avenging Angel

While walking to the shoeshine district, Scarlet noticed that hardly any people were going about their daily chores. There had been a lull in the fighting recently and it seemed that the troops had stopped their surge for a while. It was eerily quiet, but the lack of sound didn't bother Scarlet too much. Suddenly, she was caught off guard by a SS trooper. The soldier began to speak filthy German to her, which she understood.

Scarlet knew what the man was after, and she, by no means, was interested.

The two began to scuffle and fight violently in the streets while others looked on. Scarlet was afraid, since the soldier was taller and physically stronger than she was but she kicked, screamed and bit the soldier as hard and viciously as she could.

"Good ! I like a girl with fight in her !", the soldier growled as he grasped at her already ragged clothes and ripped them with no difficulty. The sting of his blows jarred her momentarily, but she managed to keep him at bay until he cornered her in an ally.

"Now you have no place to run, girly. Why can't you make it easy on me ? That is, unless you like it rough and honestly, I have no obligation either way !", the soldier sneered as he launched himself at her. In a whip crack moment, she wielded her knife like an assassin and plunged it into his shoulder.

"Fuck ! You damned bitch !", he exclaimed, ripping at the knife in his flesh and flinging it aside before he could deter her escape. She struggled, cried and hollered as he held her tightly in his strong, bulky arm. In an animalistic nature, he began ripping her clothes off and she kicked him swiftly in the groin. Angered, he swung at her and knocked her out cold with a haymaker.

"That out to keep you down for a while, you nasty cunt.", the SS soldier grunted in pain as he continued to rip all her clothes from her. He nearly had Scarlet naked before the crack of a bat was heard against the back of his head. The blow had been brutal enough to cave in his skull and the Nazi was dead upon impact. The figure that held the bloody bat saw the unconscious girl and took off his black jacket to cover her. It was the least he could do after she had gone through so much indignity.

When Scarlet awoke, she saw the gruesome sight of her would-be attacker with his brains bashed in and flies starting to hover around his body. He had begun to stink. Feeling she would be blamed for the death of a SS soldier, she ran from the ally, but not without retrieving her trusted bowie knife and putting it in the pocket of the trench coat that now covered her. Upon leaving the ally, Scarlet buttoned the coat, knowing it would be her only clothing for now until she earned more money for better clothes.

Strangely, the coat itself gave her a warm, tingly feeling. It smelled of aftershave, pine trees, cigarette smoke and the faintest hint of blood. For a moment, Scarlet's knees felt wobbly.

"Whoever wore this coat was my avenging angel. I must find out who he is and repay him with what little money I have. It's the least I can do to thank him for saving my life.", Scarlet thought to herself as she went through the streets searching for the mysterious man she would soon learn was the notorious _Bear Jew_.


	3. Donny Donowitz

Chapter 3--Donny Donnowitz

It took a while but after a few weeks, Scarlet caught up to the trail of the 'avenging angel' who had rescued her so chivalrously. He was with a group known as the Basterds; those notorious Nazi slayers whom the Germans actually feared. Scarlet had nothing to worry about. Although she was German by birth, she favored her Scottish/Polish side more than anything else.

She could smell an intoxicating cologne coming from the tall, handsome, muscular Jew. She recognized the smell because it was the same essence that had been left on the trench coat that he had left for her. He had turned around, having heard her footfalls behind him.

"Who are you, and why the hell are you following us ?", he asked, clearly annoyed by Scarlet's presence. He then noticed that Scarlet was wearing his trench coat.

"I've come to repay you, kind Sir. You saved my life. If it hadn't been for you, I would've been raped, or worse.", Scarlet said. Again, her knees had become somewhat shaky.

"Ya don't have to do that. Though, it would probably be best if we did get you into some better clothes.", Donny said. Not knowing what else to do with Scarlet, Donny took her by the hand and led her to the Basterds' hideaway.

"You had better not breathe a word to this to anyone else. If you do, I'll have to cut your tongue out myself. But since ya don't seem to be stupid or a traitor, I don't think any of us will have to worry.", Donny stated honestly, warning the teenage girl that the Basterds took their secrecy _deathly_ seriously.


	4. Training a New Recruit

Chapter 4--Training a New Recruit

As soon as Scarlet was introduced to the Basterds and she proved to them she could be trusted (as well as her deep seeded hatred of Hitler and the Nazis), she was given new clothes to change into. Granted, they were men's clothing, but oddly, Scarlet found them appealing. They suited her in an odd sort of way due to her svelte, slender, but resilient build.

"There has to be some way I can repay you.", Scarlet pleaded. Raine, the commander of the Basterds, looked her over.

"Donowitz, you really gotta stop bein so chivalrous. We don't need no one following us. Especially not a teenage girl !", Aldo yelled.

"I'll make it worth your while. I can fight !", Scarlet retorted.

"You did hold your own back there, sweet-cheeks.", Donny complimented.

Scarlet blushed cherry red and nearly hid her face at his praise.

"You moron ! You ain't helping the situation.", Smithson retorted, irritated. What Aldo had said to them was true. They couldn't risk dragging a teenage girl around with them, even if she could presumably fight according to Donny's eyewitness account.

"I can prove myself to you. I tried paying my knight back with money, which I don't have much of, but he wouldn't accept monetary payment.", Scarlet said, asserting herself among them. Omar stood up and looked down at her.

"Do any of us scare you ?", he said, ominously, his tone had some venom in it.

"No. We're of the same ilk. I hate those murderers as much as you do !", Scarlet said, staring him between the eyes without flinching.

"If you want to run with us, then you're going to need training. Lots of it. It won't be easy and we ain't gonna go easy on ya just because you're female.", Aldo said, sizing the teenage girl up again. Donny was keeping a close eye on her since he believed he was the cause of all of this to begin with. In a way, she had become his little sister and he felt it was his duty to make certain she was protected from anyone who wanted to harm her in any fashion. Scarlet stood toe to toe with Aldo and grinned cockily.

"I know you won't, but I want vengeance. If I come across any prick who has tried to rape girls like myself in the street…I swear I will cut off his balls without thinking twice.", Scarlet vowed. Many of the men winced in pain at the thought of having themselves neutered in such a barbaric way but they understood what horror Scarlet must've felt in the vice grasp of that SS operative.

"Then welcome aboard. If you prove yourself to us, then you're welcome to be the first female Basterd. If not, then you'll have to go your way and forget you ever crossed our paths. Capice ?", Aldo stated, seriously. Scarlet nodded her head understandingly and prepared for the next few months of combat training, weight and resistance exercise to condition her body in preparation for the meetings she and the Basterds would be having with captured Nazis. Through the sweat, scrapes, bruises and sore muscles, she began to taste vengeance upon her lips. Someday, she'd have soldiers like the operative that had nearly taken her life from her at her mercy and she could live her life normally once again.


	5. Unrequited Love

Chapter 5--Unrequited Love

As the months passed, Scarlet felt her love for Donny deepen. Sadly she knew, no matter how well she fared as a Basterd, as she had proven herself to the group again and again with her agility, courage, swiftness and rapier wit, that she would not ever gain the heart of the Bear Jew. But the sisterly affection she did receive as well as her nickname, "Bowie", were more than enough to heal the pain that she had felt being so tantalizingly near to the object of her affection and not being able to have her affection returned to her. Though it hurt her heart more than she knew a human heart was ever capable of but it didn't really matter. She was a Basterd now and her nickname was among the most feared in Germany. She had become sort of a savior for young women like herself everywhere by teaching Nazi soldiers the true meaning of trepidation, panic and utter horror. Her motto had become, "It is better to be feared than loved", even if that truism was a terrible lie.

Scarlet made herself invaluable to the Basterds with her incredible cooking skills. She had been surviving by her wits alone and had managed to observe others cooking and tried the 'art' for herself, easily becoming an expert in cuisine in no time. Needless to say, the Basterds never went hungry and always looked forward to Scarlet's gourmet cooking.

World War II continued, but it seemed that the end was getting nearer all the while. The Basterds were making headway in their persecution of Nazis. Fortunately, there were always those smarter Germans that decided to spill their guts to the Basterds so they would not have to be tortured by Donny or Scarlet, and both of those soldiers took their work very seriously and with immense delight. Yet, there was a small twinge of fear about what Scarlet would do and where she would go and what would happen to her after the War was over. She knew that casualties were inevitable and whenever a Basterd fell, she wept. After all that the Basterds had been through recently there were only a few left standing, but they weren't about to give up on their mission or lose initiative. They had come to far to stop the Nazis completely and could see that slowly, but surely, the Third Reich was beginning to fall. Soon, their plan to gather all the 'worst players in the Party' together was about to come to a head. The tension was making Scarlet sweat at night because she knew she was going to be a part of history in the making, but somehow she knew that she and her family would survive through this, no matter what the cost.


	6. Separate Ways

Chapter 6--Separate Ways

After the burning of the cinema had been such a success, the remnant of the Basterds had to flee due to the fact that they were being trailed by none other than Colonel Landa himself.

Donny, Aldo and Scarlet were caught by Landa himself and brought to be interrogated by him. Landa wasn't expecting a little girl to be with them though.

"Is this "Bowie" ? The little bitch we've been running scared with our tails between our legs from ?", he said, laughing mockingly at her. Scarlet spat on him and swore at him in Polish.

"I don't know what she just said, but it sounded particularly nasty.", Donnie commented.

"I don't speak Polack. As I was saying, I find it marvelously enjoyable that I finally have you three cockroaches in my midst just ripe for crunching under my boot.", Landa sneered viciously with a self-righteous air of narcissism and confidence. Donnie had to hold Scarlet back for fear she would leap forward and throttle the man who was about to have them killed. Grieving in their hearts, the Basterds told the Nazi everything they had done, down to the last gory detail. Even Scarlet wasn't concerned about impending death. As far as she was concerned, her odd jobs hadn't compared with being a Nazi hunter/slayer and she had been in the company of the bravest, most handsome men she had ever seen.

As they were being taken by truck to their execution, Scarlet held the hands of her surrogate brothers and began praying in her mother tongue of Polish. It was uncertain how she ever knew the language, but she spoke it beautifully and lyrically.

It was calming to her friends even though they knew that they were going to face certain death.

"If it is any consolation this day, at least we are dying with an angel.", Donny said, proudly. They couldn't see Scarlet's blushing but they could sense the hotness coming from their face, which spoke louder than words.

As Scarlet hoped, her orations had reached heaven's ears and the remnant of the Basterds had come to rescue them. She watched in a sort of sadistic manner as Aldo created his finest masterpiece ever. It was the last time she would ever see the color of Nazi blood, but it had been enough for her.

Aldo and Donny would be heading home since the War was coming to a close. America was the best place to move since Germany had gone to hell in a hand basket.

"Is it alright if I come along with you ?", she asked, hopefully.

"Yes, but when we arrive in New York, we separate from there. You have your own life to lead.", Aldo said. A part of him was going to miss Scarlet and the incredible skills she possessed at wielding a bowie knife. Donny would miss her gourmet cooking but the two were lone wolves and they could fend for themselves. As for Scarlet, she had proven to herself that she was tough and her determination and intention would grant her more success than she ever could've imagined.


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue 

America was far different than Scarlet ever believed it would be, but she adapted quickly. It had been difficult to say goodbye to her friends, but she managed to do so, biting back her tears and remaining strong the whole time.

When she had been called to give a family name for herself, Scarlet had no one to trace her linage to, but then she remembered how fantastic that black trench coat had made her feel all this time. She sensed Donny was still with her, somehow keeping her safe from harm's way. In the honor of the coat itself, she called herself 'Black' and the name was accepted. Her new identity had given her a sense of individuality but she soon knew that she would have to do more than have a name to survive in this strange, dazzling new world called America.

Funnily enough, Scarlet had been reading the newspaper and had found Donny's name in the headlines. Apparently he was going to be interviewed for his bravery, he and all the rest of the Basterds were going to be gathered together for a reunion. Her heart sped at the thought of being reunited with her brothers once more to tell her tale, too. She had collected enough money to make the trip from Jersey back to New York and reminisce with the men that had helped her grow and believe in herself through the most difficult time in her existence.

Having relished the interviews and being with her comrades again, Scarlet exchanged information with her ex-Basterds. Recently, she had found someone and was dating him. His name was Albert Rhodes, and he was nothing like Donny was, but he only wanted the best for his sweetheart and someday hoped to marry her and live a life of wedded bliss by her side for years to come.

"I'm glad to hear you finally found someone special. Sweet girl like you deserves someone like that.", Aldo said, playfully taking the young-woman's chin in his hand and tweaking it. Scarlet laughed and flushed slightly at his affection.

"Al's the best guy around. He always makes me smile and can make a mean perogi.", Scarlet said with a dazzling grin.

Though the ex-Basterds had to split up and their fame was short-lived, they always managed to reconvene on the date that World War 2 had been won for the Allies. Legend has it that Scarlet Rhodes is the eldest amongst them and can still use a bowie knife quite agilely for her gourmet cooking (instead of slicing Nazis). Albert still remains with her and spoils their grandchildren rotten, even though they get tired of hearing the story of the Inglorious Basterds. They're too young to respect and appreciate it now, but when they mature, they'll come to know what good they did for a whole nation that had been ostracized for far too long.

The End


End file.
